Working with an Altar

Working with an altar can be a very supportive way to connect to your personal spiritual practice. It is both a tool and a source of creative expression. When you create an altar, you create a space for a tangible, physical representation of spirit. It is like a landing pad for spiritual energies, and a great reminder that we are spiritual beings having a physical experience (not the other way around).

The following are some tips to support you in building and working with your altar:

Built with Intention:

An altar can look like whatever you choose. It may contain sacred objects and spiritual inspirations. Your creative expression is key. Include all of your senses: color, smell, sound, textures.

TIP: in general, incense represents the element of air, and when lit represents prayers rising from earth to the spiritual dimensions. Candles represent the element of fire, and when lit turn the altar “on,” activating it for use.

Placing the Altar:

Your altar can be on a piece of furniture, a shelf, or on the ground. It’s recommended to not have drawers of stuff below the altar, as that blocks the energy flow (avoiding tops of dressers etc). Use an altar cloth to bring beauty, color, and texture into the expression of your altar. I recommend good quality fabrics and natural materials whenever possible.

TIP: when possible, placing the altar on the north wall supports good energy flow.

Showing Reverence:

Just as you clean your home before having guests over, maintaining a tidy altar is a show of respect for the spiritual beings and energies you are working with. Reducing clutter, cleaning up incense ash, and wax is a show of reverence.

TIP: be mindful of how you put out a stick of incense, being careful not to burn the materials on the altar. A shell for burning sage is useful for putting out a stick of incense. Emptying the burnt sage and incense after each use maintains a clean and tidy altar space.

Using Your Altar:

Your altar is an expression of you and your spirituality. It can change with your intention, season, and purpose. Follow you intuition when choosing the look, feel, and placement of items on your altar. You can use your altar to:

Charge objects and gemstones with spiritual energies.

Direct energy toward a specific goal. You may place a vision board, or list of goals on your altar to anchor in energies to support in manifestation.

Send prayers for a specific person. One way of doing this is writing their name down on piece of paper and placing it on your altar.

These are a few tips to get started. If you’d like more inspiration for creating your altar remember this: your altar anchors spiritual energies into the physical. It is a tool for creation. What do you want to create? Choose a focus and follow your intuition to create an expression of this desire. Pray, meditate, and engage in your spiritual practice to align with the essence of who you are, and step forward in action to express your divine self in the world.

Genevieve Wachutka is a Guide and Healer with the Modern Mystery School, an international community of Lightworkers within the Lineage of King Salomon. With Guides and Healers in 60 countries around the world, click here to view upcoming international programs in the western world headquarters in Toronto, Canada.